Academic Antagonist
by MWolfL
Summary: During his most tense case ever, Fillmore has to choose between saving the school from a bomb...or saving his best friend and partner Ingrid. Which one will he save, and what's this new feeling he's getting? FillmoreXIngrid
1. Act One: A Partner Departed

It was another day at X Middle School. Fillmore rushed to school on his skateboard and made it just in time. He walked into the Safety Patrol Headquarters and put on his sash.

"Fillmore! Where's Third?" Vallejo walked up to him.

Fillmore gave him a confused look.

"She told me yesterday that she had to get to school early to finish that Biology project, hasn't she arrived yet?" He asked.

"See for yourself." Vallejo pointed to the sash hooks.

Ingrid's sash was still hanging there.

"Huh, weird, maybe she got here later than she intended and went straight to Biology?" Fillmore suggested.

"Maybe. Well I hope she gets here soon we can't have half a good team at school today." Vallejo took a sip of cocoa, looking worried.

"What's the worry?" Fillmore asked.

"I dunno...it's just that things have been quiet lately and I've got this bad feeling that something big's about to happen." Vallejo glanced around warily.

"Relax, today will most likely be as boring as usual." Fillmore smirked, about to leave. "I'll go head for Ingrid's Biology class and look for her there, be right back."

"Right." Vallejo nodded.

Fillmore casually walked through the halls, even after the bell rang. One advantage of being on the Safety Patrol is that officers are allowed to roam the halls even during class times. It wasn't long until Fillmore reached Ingrid's class. Since class already started he knocked on the door instead of barging in. The teacher opened the door.

"Ah, Fillmore, do you have a message explaining Third's tardiness?" The teacher asked.

Fillmore now started to feel worried.

"You mean she hasn't arrived?" He asked.

"No...isn't she at home or at Headquarters?"

"I don't know about home, but she isn't at Headquarters. Excuse me."

Fillmore rushed for the nearest school telephone. Luckily all the adults were inside classrooms or other kinds of rooms so he didn't get scolded for running. He picked up the phone and dialed Ingrid's home number. There was no answer, Ingrid's sister and dad were probably at school and work respectively. Of course no one answering meant that Ingrid wasn't at home either. Now Fillmore really got worried.

He headed back to Headquarters, were Vallejo approached him again. Vallejo froze upon seeing Fillmore's worried expression.

"Ingrid isn't in class or at home." Fillmore explained.

"Oh great." Vallejo facepalmed; he then chugged down a few gulps of cocoa.

"Maybe your bad feeling is correct after all." Fillmore looked at Ingrid's sash worriedly.

Time passed, still no sign of Ingrid. Fillmore just fiddled with a pencil at his desk. He did plan to search the campus and nearby town during lunch though. Luckily he got a new platinum pass recently, this time a permanent one, so he wouldn't have to worry about being arrested for 'playing hookey'.

Everyone else at headquarters noticed how worried Fillmore was and they didn't blame him. After all Ingrid was much more than his partner, she was his best friend. Vallejo walked up to Fillmore again, this time in a more friendly manner.

"Hey Fillmore." Vallejo forced a comforting smile; he too was very worried. "Here, I got you a cup of cocoa."

Fillmore accepted the cup, but didn't drink the cocoa. Instead he stared at a picture of Ingrid on his computer. Vallejo sighed.

"I know you're worried about Ingrid but moping around here isn't going to help." He said.

"I know, I'm planning to search the school and town during lunch." Fillmore didn't look up. "And I'm not just worried, I think...I think I miss her too."

"I'm not surprised, you two have always been close."

Vallejo then left, he knew that he couldn't say anything more to help.

To Fillmore's surprised, he felt a tear roll down his cheek. He quickly wiped it off, not wanting anyone to notice. He was also surprised by how much he missed Ingrid. Yes they were best friends as well as partners, but he didn't expect to miss her so much that his chest would hurt. He put a hand over his chest as if he hoped that it would lessen the pain and found out something: the pain was where his heart is. He then realized that it wasn't his chest that was hurting, it was his heart that was hurting. He couldn't figure it out, he never heard of a friendship that had been so strong that being away from the friend for a short time would cause a heart to ache. He took another look at Ingrid's photo and realized how beautiful she is. Her raven hair, her marble skin, her... He froze. Seeing her as beautiful, an aching heart...oh god!

"_Aw dog!_" He cried in his head. "_I've fallen in love with her!_"

He freaked out on the inside. How could he fall in love with his best friend? This could ruin both their friendship and partnership! And he didn't want to think about how Vallejo would react if he should find out...

Suddenly, the intercom crackled. Everyone looked up, expecting either a new crime report by Folsom or a report on the discovery of Ingrid.

"Students and faculty of X Middle School!" A deep, wheezing voice said through the intercom. "You are all being corrupted! School is nothing more than a plot to deny our freedom and individuality! I am here to save you by blowing up X Middle School! The bomb will go off at three P.M., meaning you all have plenty of time to grab your stuff and escape into town! But don't bother to try to look for me or the bomb, because if you do then this one student I kidnapped early this morning will die. I am referring to Safety Patroller Ingrid Third!"

Fillmore paled and accidentally flicked the pencil he was still fiddling with high into the air. It landed on O'Farrell's head, but he was too busy paying attention to the intercom to notice.

"It is your choice Safety Patrol, either save the school or save Third."

The intercom then turned off. All of the Safety Patrol was quiet.

"W-what should we do?" O'Farrell said nervously.

"I'm not sure..." Vallejo hesitated. "However, the school can be replaced but Third can't, so I vote looking for her. The thing is, I don't know if Folsom will agree or not."

"I don't care whether she does or not I'm going to find Ingrid." Fillmore frowned, instantly standing up.

Vallejo smiled at him approvingly. Normally he would be on Folsom's side just because he doesn't want to lose his position or anything, but this time he sided with Fillmore.

The intercom buzzed this time.

"Vallejo and Fillmore, meet me in my office now!" Folsom's voice ordered over the intercom.

Without a word, Vallejo and Fillmore left for Folsom's office.

When they got there they saw Folsom pacing worriedly. They had visited her in her office so many times before that they just automatically sat on the couch opposite the door.

"What a calamity...losing the school I've worked hard at for years or losing a student..." Folsom muttered.

There was an awkward pause.

"So...uh...what're our orders?" Vallejo rubbed the back of his head.

Folsom took a deep breath.

"Okay, as much as I'd hate to see the school blown up there is the fact that it can be rebuilt...though it would take millions of dollars to do so..."

Fillmore looked annoyed up to the point of seeming ticked off.

"But aside from that...if we let Ms. Third get killed the school board will fire me for letting a student be harmed." Folsom finished. "So your orders are to find Third. Raycliff and I will work on getting everyone else to remove all the important items from the building before we all make our final escape."

"I would've worked at finding Ingrid anyway!" Fillmore glared.

Folsom and Raycliff stared at him. Vallejo facepalmed quietly.

"Yes, well..." Obviously Folsom wasn't used to students bluntly disregarding her orders like that. "Get on the case!"

Vallejo rushed out of the office, but Fillmore just quietly walked out. Folsom and Raycliff stared after him, then Folsom went to her desk and rested her head in her hands.

"I need an aspirin." She groaned

Vallejo, who was waiting for Fillmore in the hall, frowned at him.

"You have to be careful talking to Folsom like that!" He scolded. "You could've gotten detention or worse!"

Fillmore's expression softened a little. He realized that he was letting his feelings for Ingrid control his actions. Time to fight that.

"Sorry Vallejo, I don't know what came over me." He lied.

Vallejo's expression softened this time.

"You love her don't you?" He guessed knowingly.

Fillmore's blood ran cold.

"Wha-! How-did...uh no, no I don't." Fillmore stammered, lying again.

Vallejo just smiled.

"You don't need to lie to me Fillmore it's okay." He said.

Fillmore stared at him.

"What?" Fillmore didn't expect Vallejo to accept his feelings for Ingrid.

"You aren't the first guy to fall for his partner." Vallejo chuckled, before looking sad. "Besides, I know how it feels to risk losing a partner. Heck I know it twice...but that's not the point. The point is, unlike me at least you have a chance to save your partner. And you might even have a chance with her too. I've never seen a partnership as close as yours and Ingrid's before. It's even closer than...anyway, let's just concentrate on saving Ingrid before three okay?"

Vallejo comfortingly clapped a hand on Fillmore's shoulder at that and walked off. Fillmore stood there, confused, until he realized:

"Malika."


	2. Act Two: Electronic Evidence

It was now lunchtime. The students were eating as usual, but not conversing as usual. They were still worried about the bomb. They were worried about Ingrid too, depending on who you asked. The only conversations that took place were of Vallejo and Fillmore questioning the students, asking them if they saw anything out of place that morning. Vallejo took one side of the cafeteria while Fillmore took the other. They also questioned students outside the cafeteria, even past criminals. Because of the situation, the past criminals and offenders and such did not treat Vallejo or Fillmore with disrespect or cruelty and even tried to be as helpful as possible. Unfortunately, no one had seen or heard anything useful. Obviously the felon placed the bomb underneath the campus during the dead of night. In Ingrid's case, it looked like she had arrived at school hours before anyone else, half-an-hour before at least.

Vallejo and Fillmore returned to headquarters with just as many answers as before. Fillmore sat down at his desk and banged his head on top of it.

"Ingrid..." He whispered to himself. "Where are you?"

With nothing else to do, he decided to check his e-mail. As well as send e-mails to his and Ingrid's family about the situation. After all if it became too late...well, it was best that Ingrid's family find out before rather than after. And maybe his parents can give him comforting words. It was a long shot, but then again what kind of parent would one be if he or she couldn't comfort his or her own kid?

After he finished writing the e-mails he checked his own. Mostly spam, which he nuked. Some of them were from old foes he and Ingrid had stopped before, including Parnassus, the first criminal they ever caught together. Well not quite, he got away with it, but at least he had been stopped from stinking the school a second time. Fillmore automatically smiled: that case was one of his favorites because it unintentionally revealed how in sync he and Ingrid already were despite knowing each other for less than a day.

Then he realized that he and Ingrid being in sync and becoming a team couldn't have been a coincidence. After all Fillmore automatically never believed Ingrid to have been the one to have set off the stink bomb even though she confessed (in order to transfer out) and apparently bought the ingredients (it was Parnassus in disguise). He just...automatically liked her, wanted her to be innocent so that she would stay...stay with him. Her honesty, her spunkiness, all that and more...it just made her more beautiful to him than her looks were to everyone else.

At that moment, he vowed: first chance he got, he was going to admit his feelings to her.

After nuking all the ones he knew were spam, he saw one username that made him freeze...again. If this kept up he would have to hook up an IV filled with hot cocoa to himself later... Anyway, he got an e-mail from Ingrid! And it had been sent to him earlier that day!

"Vallejo!" Fillmore called.

Vallejo was in his office, the door shut, and so apparently didn't hear him. Everyone else at headquarters did though and stared at him. Tehama, Anza, and O'Farrell instantly rushed to Fillmore's side but he ignored them. Instead he got up and rushed into Vallejo's office, banging the door open. This caused Vallejo's framed photos and other items to crash to the ground.

"FILL-" Vallejo cut himself off, calming down; the current situation took precedence over a few items after all. "What the Dragnet is wrong?"

"Nothing wrong, it's just that I think I might have gotten a clue from Ingrid!" Fillmore said excitedly, though not entirely happily; he won't be entirely happy again until he was sure that Ingrid was safe.

"What?" Vallejo instantly stood up.

"I got an e-mail from her early this morning, I just noticed it now!"

"Aw geez..." Vallejo rushed towards the door, following Fillmore to his desk.

Tehama, Anza, and O'Farrell overheard what Fillmore said and watched along with Vallejo hopefully as Fillmore opened the e-mail. No words, just an attachment. Fillmore instantly double-clicked on it. A smaller screen opened up...it was a video! A weird video though, there was no picture. Only sound.

"Where are you taking me?" Ingrid's voice said on the video.

Fillmore then remembered that part of Ingrid's project included a video camera, which her dad let her borrow. She must've shot the video while she was being captured but left it on only sound so that whoever kidnapped her wouldn't notice that it was on.

"Someplace no one has been to in months and probably won't ever be to again...except maybe to demolish it." A young male voice said. "Now quiet!"

So this was the real voice of the felon. Fillmore and a few others realized that he must've used a voice changer when he spoke over the intercom.

The video didn't have any more dialogue, but there were some muffled noises of complaint. Apparently the felon had gagged Ingrid. It went on a bit longer, with the only sounds being footsteps, then ended.

"Ingird...you genius." Fillmore smiled to himself.

"So whoever kidnapped her took her somewhere abandoned." Vallejo realized.

"Yeah but how did she send Fillmore the video?" O'Farrell asked.

"Her project not only included a video camera but her laptop as well." Fillmore explained. "I guess whoever kidnapped her left her alone at one point and she took the opportunity to send the video to me."

"Hmm, abandoned..." Tehama thought out loud. "I got it! The old Drama Club building! It was abandoned when the Drama Club was given a place closer to the main building since it was too far away. I wasn't here at the time but I heard about it...I also heard that past Drama Clubs used to complain about the distance between the buildings."

"But how can we know for sure?" Anza pointed out. "There are a few abandoned buildings older than that one. Of course a recently abandoned building would be safer to hide in but..."

"Wait a minute! Ingrid made the camera record pass the dialogue on purpose! Maybe she didn't leave the video recording off, just the lighting." Fillmore snapped his fingers. "O'Farrell, you think you can photoshop the video so that we can see what's going on?"

"Just leave it to me!" O'Farrell cricked his fingers.

Fillmore instantly got up. O'Farrell sat down, downloaded the video onto a photo editing program, and got to work. He first enhanced the video, then made it lighter. He had to rework the tint and coloring a little, but it wasn't long before he was done. They then played the video again, this time muted. They saw that Ingrid and her kidnapper were going down a dark hallway, and then down some stairs. That's when they got their big clue: Ingrid and her kidnapper were now in a basement full of old props and scenery. It **was** the old abandoned Drama Club building! The video ended there.

"Disco." Fillmore smiled. "Right, I'm going after Ingrid. You guys pack up headquarters and prepare to move to a safer place."

Fillmore started to run, but was stopped by Vallejo putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Whoa, hold on Fillmore, I don't like the idea of you going after this guy alone." Vallejo frowned.

"I gotta do it alone Vallejo, more than one person will be too easily noticed out there." Fillmore argued. "I'll be okay, at least as long as Ingrid is."

And with that, Fillmore left. Vallejo shook his head as Tehama, Anza, and O'Farrell stared at the door to headquarters worriedly.

Fillmore had never rushed so hard in his life. Even though there was over an hour left he ran like there was only five or ten minutes left. He didn't even stop to pick up a vehicle. After a long while of running he tripped, which he was partially grateful for since he was starting to lose his breath. He rested on his stomach for a while until he could breathe easier, then got up and continued on.

When he finally neared the old building, he stopped and sneaked around. He knew that Ingrid was in the basement, so he kept clear of the windows while he snuck over. He cautiously looked inside, and saw Ingrid tied to a chair and gagged. Her stuff was off to one side. The felon, the jerk who kidnapped Ingrid and who was going to blow up the school, had his back to Fillmore. Fillmore smirked, now was his chance. He tested the window...fortunately, it opened quietly. This surprised him, until he noticed that the window looked relatively clean and the lock was broken. Apparently the felon had to break in through that window, and then unlocked the doors to the building so that he could get in more easily in the future.

Fillmore quietly landed on the ground. Fortunately not even Ingrid noticed him. Fillmore then saw a sword made out of wood lying near him. Not as heavy as he would've like, but better than most of the other options he had. He snuck up on the felon, and knocked him out. The felon fell to the ground with a groan of pain. Ingrid looked up, a little surprised but not as much as you would expect.

"Got my e-mail?" She smirked after Fillmore took her gag off.

"Sure did." Fillmore smirked back.

Fillmore suddenly dropped the sword he was still holding onto and hugged her. This surprised her a lot.

"I was so worried about you." Fillmore admitted.

Ingrid blushed a little.

"Really?" She wanted to make sure.

"Yeah, I thought I'd never see you again. I mean I know you can take care of yourself but..."

"I know." Ingrid smiled.

Fillmore then set to work untying her. Once he finished he saw a detonator nearby! He realized that the felon chose this building to hide in not only because it had been abandoned but also because it would be a safe haven from the blast.

"I have to cut the wires." Fillmore said determinedly.

"Look out!" Ingrid gasped.

Fillmore turned around: the felon had recovered and was now holding the sword he had been knocked out with! Fillmore did a backwards flip and was able to find another wooden sword nearby. You can guess what happened next: sword fight.

Fortunately, the felon was concentrating so much on Fillmore that he forgot about Ingrid. Ingrid realized this and decided to deactivate the detonator while she had the chance. Thank goodness for her smarts, she was able to render the detonator useless in just a few minutes. And during that last minute, the felon knocked Fillmore off his feet!

The felon then pulled out a gun!

"Normally I try not to harm people." The felon glared coldly. "But you're too threatening to my plans."

The felon aimed the gun right towards Fillmore's heart! Fillmore paled, he never came up against a gun before. He only hoped that he would be able to stay alive long enough to tell Ingrid his feelings, but it turned out that he didn't have to. Ingrid knocked out the felon at the last second, causing the gun to fire off to the side!

"Are you okay?" Ingrid asked.

"I am now." Fillmore smiled.

Ingrid smiled back.

"The detonator is useless, I took care of it." She said.

"I know, I'm not surprised." Fillmore hugged her. "You're the smartest human being I have ever known."

She hugged him back. They stayed like that for about a minute, when the felon groaned.

"Er...better get him to the authorities." Ingrid realized.

"Right." Fillmore agreed.

He then handcuffed the felon and led him outside, back towards the main building.

When Fillmore and Ingrid got there they were greeted with cheers from all the students and faculty. The rest of Safety Patrol approached Fillmore and Ingrid and hugged them, especially O'Farrell. Only Vallejo didn't, he wasn't the type, but he did clap both proudly on the shoulder.

"Good work Fillmore. You too Ingrid, we wouldn't have been able to find you without your video." Vallejo smiled proudly.

Ingrid just smiled back.

"Great news, both Ingrid and the school are safe." Fillmore said a little loudly to his fellow students and the faculty. "We caught the felon and Ingrid disarmed the detonator to the bomb."

Everyone, except the felon, cheered even louder.


	3. Act Three: Official Relationships

As the felon was delivered to the authorities, Fillmore was able to get a good look at him for the first time. He was surprised: the felon was an average kid with brown hair and brown eyes and a sad expression. Fillmore just shook his head: he was glad that the kid wasn't evil but he was also sad that the kid had become so paranoid about education.

After the felon was driven away Folsom made an announcement:

"Students and fellow faculty: in honor of both Ms. Third and X Middle School being saved there will be a party tomorrow. No classes, just come into the gym. There will be free food and music and the Safety Patrol will receive high honors for their excellent work!"

Everyone cheered again.

Since school was almost over anyway, everyone was sent home. Fillmore's parents and Ingrid's dad and sister arrived at that point. Ingrid's dad and sister immediately hugged her to her surprised.

"Er, I e-mailed them about what happened." Fillmore explained awkwardly.

Ingrid just laughed and hugged her dad and sister back.

"I'm so relieved you're safe!" Mr. Third said happily.

"Same here sis, I was really worried when I got the e-mail during lunch but I couldn't get out of school early." Ingrid's sister Ariella agreed.

"Well thank Fillmore. He saved my life." Ingrid smiled.

Mr. Third and Ariella let go of Ingrid and expressed their thanks to Fillmore. He just accepted it humbly and added that it was Ingrid who save the school from the bomb. Then it was Ingrid's turn to receive praise. Fillmore's parents also expressed how proud they were of him and how relieved they were that he and Ingrid were safe.

After that, Fillmore and Ingrid were driven home. They didn't live too far from each other, so after Fillmore got home he got out of the car but didn't go towards the house.

"I have some unfinished business to take care of, I'll be home in time for dinner." Fillmore explained to his parents.

They hesitated at first, but decided to let him go ahead.

Fillmore rushed over to Ingrid's house and knocked on the door. Ariella opened it and looked surprised upon seeing Fillmore there.

"Please...I have to talk to Ingrid." Fillmore rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

Ariella smiled, apparently catching on.

"Wait right there." She left to get Ingrid.

A few moments later, Ingrid stepped outside.

"Fillmore?" She said confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to confess something, something I realized earlier today after you disappeared and before we found out that you were kidnapped." Fillmore said, a little nervous but brave enough to not stammer.

"What is it?"

"Ingrid...when you didn't show up for work or for class I grew worried about you. But even more I...I started to miss you. I missed you so much that my heart ached. That was when I realized that...that I love you." Fillmore took a deep breath, waiting for Ingrid's answer.

Ingrid was beyond surprised at first, but then looked solemn.

"I'll have to admit Fillmore, I didn't have feelings for you before." She began.

Fillmore's face fell as he felt his heart slowly break.

Ingrid then smiled.

"But after I had been kidnapped I later found out from that felon what he was planning. I then became scared, not for me but for you. I was scared that you wouldn't be able to get out of harm's way in time. I then started thinking about our past missions, and all the great work we did together not only as partners but as friends. Best friends. I then thought about that Red Robin case, and why I didn't accept joining them, why I decided to stay with the Safety Patrol: it was because of you and you only." Ingrid said, becoming more cheerful.

Fillmore now looked hopeful as his heart stopped breaking.

"I didn't want to leave you, I cared about you too much." Ingrid continued. "And I didn't want to hurt you. After remembering that I realized: I love you too."

The little breakage that was in Fillmore's heart healed over as he smiled joyfully.

He and Ingrid then drew closer to each other...and kissed.

It wasn't long before their families found out about them becoming a couple. And they couldn't be happier about it.

The next day, Ingrid and Fillmore went to the party as a couple. It didn't take long for everyone to catch on. Plenty of students supported it, though there were those who were jealous because they either had a crush on Ingrid or a crush on Fillmore. When Folsom realized that Ingrid and Fillmore were a couple she also realized that Fillmore's feelings for Ingrid was why he was so cold with her the day before. So, she forgave him.

The rest of Safety Patrol of course were Fillmore and Ingrid's main supporters. Including Vallejo much to Ingrid's surprise.

"I was worried that you would disprove of our being a couple." Ingrid said to Vallejo near the punch bowl.

"Yeah, well, I know you guys won't let your relationship get in the way of work." Vallejo shrugged.

"Or maybe it's because you want us to have what you couldn't?" Fillmore whispered with a smirk. "And that you don't want us to experience the pain you did?"

Vallejo blushed slightly. Ingrid got it.

"Malika." She said knowingly.

"Yeah, her." Vallejo rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I thought we had...but then she...well you two already know the story."

"You were in love with her and thought she loved you back." Fillmore specified for Vallejo. "That was the real reason why you were so worried about Ingrid leaving us for the Red Robins."

"I saw you and Ingrid as another me and Malika." Vallejo nodded. "But I should've known better...no one could ever be another Malika."

"You still love her don't you?" Ingrid realized.

"I can't help it." Vallejo shrugged.

"Well, forget about it for now. After all today is about the school and Ingrid being saved." Fillmore smiled. "And maybe in the future things will work out."

"Really?" Vallejo looked surprised.

"Hey, she can't stay a Red Robin forever." Fillmore chuckled. "That sort of group is only for students."

Fillmore winked before walking off with Ingrid so that they could dance. Vallejo almost smiled upon realizing that Fillmore was right. He was still unhappy though...after all it would be years before both he and Malika would graduate.

Near the end of the dance Folsom made a couple announcements. The first one was about the felon. It turns out he wasn't bad, just misguided. His name was Richard Gate and had escaped from a cruel boarding school. His time there made him believe that all schools were evil and so after he escaped he set out to destroy them. Fortunately there were no casualties, X Middle School had been his first target. But this info did mean that he would be going to therapy rather than prison. Fillmore was relieved since he felt sorry for the kid upon seeing what he really looked like.

The second announcement was a surprise, at least for Fillmore. Both he and Ingrid were given medals of honor for their deeds. But that wasn't what surprised him:

"Now, as you all know Junior Commissioner Vallejo will be graduating this semester and going to high school. Because of this it is obvious that he will not be Junior Commissioner next semester or even next year." Folsom said. "He and I had a talk about this earlier today and he mentioned who he would like to be his successor. After consideration I accepted his suggestion and so I would like to introduce the new Junior Commissioner for next year: Officer Cornelius Fillmore."

Fillmore dropped his mouth open as everyone else applauded. Ingrid too was surprised but mostly looked at Fillmore with pride. Fillmore froze, not knowing what to do."

"Fillmore come on, make a speech!" O'Farrell whispered, pushing Fillmore towards the microphone.

Fillmore didn't know what to do. He didn't want to let everyone down but the idea of being a Junior Commissioner didn't appeal to him. Then he realized that there was someone more qualified than him to be a Junior Commissioner...

"Uh, everyone, I am honored that Vallejo considered me as is successor." Fillmore began awkwardly before becoming a little braver. "But mostly I'm shocked since I used to bug the heck out of him."

Everyone chuckled.

"However, I can't accept the position. I'm an action guy, not a 'sit-on-my-butt-all-day-drinking-cocoa' guy." Fillmore continued; Vallejo looked both annoyed and amused by that. "But I do know someone else who would make a good Junior Commissioner: Officer Joseph Anza."

Anza looked surprised, but no one else did.

"Tehama is also a good choice, but the Safety Patrol needs her forensic skills too much." Fillmore added. "So, what do you think Anza?"

Folsom and Vallejo paused for a minute, and realized that Fillmore made a good choice. Anza was frozen so Vallejo walked up to the microphone.

"After thinking it over I realized that Fillmore is right." He said. "Anza is a better choice. Anza?"

Anza recovered and walked up to the microphone.

"Well, I'm very grateful that Fillmore gave the position to me instead of taking it for himself. And he is right about him being more of an action guy than a Junior Commissioner guy so I'm not surprised that he turned the position down." Anza said. "However it was Vallejo's judgement that made up my mind. Since Vallejo thinks it's a good idea then I accept the position."

Everyone cheered.

"Thanks Fillmore." Anza shook his hand.

"Hey, no problem." Fillmore smiled back.

Vallejo and Anza then shook hands, and Tehama almost hugged Anza but stopped and shook his hand with a smile instead.

There wasn't much left to the party after that. Students and faculty alike just congratulated Anza and stated to Vallejo that they would miss him. Fillmore and Ingrid especially would miss Vallejo, but the three of them promised to keep in touch.


	4. Act Four: The Cops' Conclusion

It was now graduation time, and Vallejo had more visitors than his family. Mainly, the Safety Patrol also showed up.

"Hey guys." Vallejo smiled after the ceremony. "Thanks for showing up."

"Hey, anything for our favorite Junior Commissioner." Fillmore smiled.

"Oh, and we have a special surprise for you." Ingrid smiled.

The Safety Patrol parted to reveal a large framed picture of the Safety Patrol. O'Farrell was holding a wire with a button in the picture, hinting that he took the photo using one of those old fashioned remote controlled cameras. But being the photography lover that he is, it wasn't surprising that he would use an old fashioned camera instead of a modern camera with a timer.

"We don't expect you to forget us or the good times we had." Anza smiled. "But nothing like a photo to make sure right?"

"Thanks guys, this means a lot." Vallejo looked touched.

They hung out for a while, then most of the Safety Patrol headed home. Only Fillmore and Ingrid were left.

"The two of us have a special surprise for you." Ingrid smiled.

"What is it?" Vallejo asked.

Fillmore took a file out of the bag he had been carrying.

"Did some research on Malika and the school you're both going to." Fillmore handed Vallejo the file. "Great news, the school does have a Red Robin group but it's a legit one. Looks like if Malika can get into the group she'll have to change her taffy selling ways. Either way, you might have another chance with her."

Vallejo opened the file and read the few papers in it. He then closed the file and, to Fillmore's shock, hugged him.

"Thanks Fillmore." Vallejo said. "This more than makes up for the past times you've annoyed me."

"Er, no problem." Fillmore said awkwardly.

Vallejo let go.

"I'll see ya guys later." Vallejo smiled before walking back to his family.

Fillmore and Ingrid were silent for a few moments.

"Wow, he really does love Malika." Fillmore then remarked.

Ingrid chuckled.

Months later, Vallejo was in his new high school looking for Malika. But he couldn't find her. No matter where he looked, nothing. Then, during lunch, he decided to eat outside and he heard crying by a tree. He went over to the tree...

"Malika!" He gasped.

Malika, startled, looked up. She was sitting by the tree, tear stains on her cheek.

"Horatio? Is that you?" Malika couldn't believe her eyes.

"Yeah, it's me. What's wrong?"

"It's...nothing."

"Malika, come on, we haven't really seen each other in over a year but I still know you well enough to know when something's wrong." Vallejo sat down next to her.

Malika sighed.

"It's just...this school's Red Robins wouldn't accept me." Malika hung her head. "They heard about my past group at X Middle School...and about me."

"I'm really sorry." Vallejo put his arm around her.

"You? Don't you hate me for walking out on you?" Malika frowned, pulling away.

"No." Vallejo shook his head. "I could never hate you. I did hate the decision you made and I hated myself for not trying harder to stop you. But I never hated you."

"But didn't you believe that I betrayed you?" Malika was surprised.

"You didn't betray me, you just got caught up in a new life. A life that turned out to not be as good as you thought. But you're not the only one who has changed his or her life around. Take Fillmore, he used to be a delinquent. But last semester, as you probably recall, he almost became Junior Commissioner."

"That's true..."

"Look, you may not be able to get back into the Red Robins. Or maybe you can. Either way, I would like you to go back to being my friend."

"I did miss you..." Malika admitted. "I just had more friends in the Red Robins... Wait, you think I could get back into the group?"

"Who knows?" Vallejo smiled. "They might reconsider, they might not, but the only way to find out for sure is to go back to leading an honest life. Say, the Safety Patrol at this school heard about me and was wondering if I wanted to join up. I wasn't sure, since I didn't know about working with a partner again after over a year of not having one, but if you're willing to try it with me I guess I could."

"Yeah right, if the Red Robins wouldn't let me back what makes you so sure that the Safety Patrol would?" Malika scoffed.

"Because I already talked to them about it. Turns out they also heard about Fillmore and so know that people can reform, even in a big way. Meaning that they agreed to give you another chance." Vallejo smirked.

Malika stared at him.

"You mean you were willing to give me another chance at being your partner even though you didn't know whether or not I had been accepted into the Red Robins?" Malika was surprised.

"Hey, I expected you to turn it down if you had been accepted. It's okay if you turn it down now." Vallejo shrugged. "I just don't want you to turn down being my friend. I really missed you."

Malika thought it over.

"You really think I have what it takes to go back to that life?" She asked.

"Of course." Vallejo smiled.

"Well, I could give it a try...it's better than spending every day moping anyway."

Vallejo got up and helped her up. They went to have lunch together then after lunch went to the high school's Safety Patrol Headquarters. They became partners and best friends again. But it wasn't enough for Vallejo. He wanted something more. However, he was going to wait until he was sure that Malika was back to her old self. Not only in personality, but also emotionally.

A couple months later, Vallejo knew it was time. Malika was back to the Malika he knew before she joined the Red Robins. She had made many friends in the high school Safety Patrol and ended up deciding not to get back to the Red Robins. She even rejoined the X/AV Club, or at least that school's version of the club.

One day, Vallejo walked up to her desk. Not surprising, since his desk was next to hers. However, he had a different reason for going there.

"Say Malika, how about we go out to dinner tonight to celebrate your new life?" Vallejo suggested.

"Sure, sounds like fun." Malika smiled.

They went to a simple restaurant. Not a diner, but not one of those fancy-type restaurants that would cause a high school student to wash dishes in order to pay the bill either.

They mostly talked about personal stuff, since they talked Safety Patrol business a lot during school hours. Malika couldn't remember the last time she had been so happy. Truthfully, even though she loved being a Red Robin she still felt bad about leaving Vallejo and missed him. Vallejo had a great time too, it was wonderful talking with Malika as if nothing had changed.

He then walked her home. Well, after taking the bus back to her neighborhood that is. Luckily, his neighborhood was nearby.

"Thanks for dinner I had a great time." Malika smiled.

"Hey no sweat, just glad to have one of my best friends, as well as best partners, back." Vallejo smiled back.

"You know Horatio, I never regretted quitting the Safety Patrol to join the Red Robins. And I still don't." Malika admitted. "But I always did regret dumping you as a friend. Getting back with you, Safety Patrol or not, was one of the best decisions I ever made."

"I'm glad to hear that, cause I have something to admit too." Vallejo stopped and rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh?"

"Yes, the thing is I still blame myself for letting you join the Red Robins, because there was something I wanted to tell you then but was too scared to." Vallejo glanced towards the ground diagonally, then looked back at her. "And after you left I kept thinking about that one thing I wanted to say to you. Would it or would it not have stopped you from leaving the Safety Patrol, from leaving me, to join the Red Robins? I couldn't stop thinking about it, and I always regretted not telling you. Well, I think it's time to tell you now."

"Tell me what?" Malika was confused.

"That...that I love you."

Malika opened her mouth and covered it with her hand at the same time.

"Y-you love me?" She was shocked. "You loved me this whole time? Even after I left you?"

"I couldn't help it. I guess I knew, deep down, that the Malika I know and love was always inside you, even while you were a Red Robin." Vallejo said.

Malika froze, not knowing what to say. One thing's for sure: she was touched that Vallejo cared about her that much.

"Well, I don't know how I feel about you...other than friendship of course." Malika said. "But I am very touched that you care about me that much and still love me after all these years. So, I'll give us a chance."

Vallejo smiled, and they hugged.

They kept their new relationship a secret, since it was unofficial. They didn't even tell their parents. But, a month later, Mailka realized that she did love Vallejo back and admitted it. After that, their relationship was out in the open.

Not long after, Vallejo met up with Fillmore and Ingrid during a weekend and told them about him and Malika. They were happy for him, and happy for Malika. Especially Ingrid, she did kinda see Malika as a friend back when she was undercover as a Red Robin and was glad that they might be able to become friends again. When Fillmore and Ingrid graduated and transferred to high school, that's exactly what happened.

As the years passed nothing much changed. Except for Tehama and Anza that is. Tehama did have feelings for Anza, but put them on hold when he became Junior Commissioner. She had a feeling that he would be too busy and stressed to worry about dating. But when they were in high school and Anza was back to being an officer she told him her feelings and he reciprocated them.

Vallejo, Malika, Fillmore, Ingrid, Tehama, and Anza became a huge group of Safety Patrol officers, a group that took down crime faster than Fillmore and Ingrid used to in middle school. O'Farrell and Frank Bishop, another of Vallejo's old partners, also were still Safety Patrollers, but they did mostly background work. O'Farrell's real talent after all had always been photography, so apart from taking photos of the crime scenes he mostly stayed back at headquarters, studying the photos he or others took. Frank Bishop was a profiler, and so only needed to look at photos or evidence back at headquarters to figure out the personality and traits of the culprit. Sometimes he would visit the scene of the crime, but not often.

When they became adults they basically stayed on the same path they were on. Fillmore, Ingrid, Vallejo, and Anza became actual cops. Tehama became a forensics cop, like she was a forensic Safety Patroller. Malika and O'Farrell became camera cops; they would film the scene of the crimes, take photos, and sometimes set up surveillance cameras when staking out a place. Frank Bishop stayed a profiler, and mostly worked for Vallejo and his partners. But he would sometimes help other cops out as well.

Of course the three main couples: FillmoreXIngrid, VallejoXMalika, and AnzaXTehama eventually got married. Vallejo and Malika were first:

"Malika?" Vallejo said one night while they were having dinner at his place.

"Yes Horatio?" Malika was still the only one of their generation who called him that.

"We've been together all these years, and they have been the best years of my life, but that one year we wasted in middle school made me realize that I don't want to waste any more years."

"What do you mean?" Malika put her fork down, confused.

"I mean, even though it seems early, us being 21, and all, I had been wondering...if you will do me the honor of becoming my wife?" Vallejo took a ring box out of his pocket; the ring was diamond, as to be expected, and looked like a cluster of Chrysanthemums.

Malika put a hand over Vallejo's hand, the one that was holding the ring.

"Of course I will, I don't want to waste any more years either." She smiled.

Vallejo put the ring on her finger and they kissed.

Frank Bishop was Vallejo's best man, but Fillmore was right next to Frank at the alter as second best man. Ingrid was Malika's head bridesmaid.

When they were 25 Fillmore also proposed to Ingrid during dinner, except it was at that seafood restaurant he and his parents loved so much and Ingrid's dad and sister were there too. It was a family date rather than a romantic one, which was just fine with Fillmore and Ingrid. They weren't the romantic types, they preferred friendly, casual dates. Fillmore was doubly happy this time because he was glad that his parents and Ingrid's dad and sister were there. He wanted them to see his proposal to Ingrid.

"Ingrid, everyone, I have something to say." Fillmore smiled a little loudly.

Both their families heard him and stopped their conversations to listen. Ingrid swallowed the bit of lobster she had in her mouth.

"What is it?" Ingrid smiled back.

"Ingrid, when you first entered X Middle School almost everyone saw you as a troublemaking rebel, but I never did." Fillmore began. "I knew how being a new kid can make one bitter, and so what I saw when I first met you was someone who was misunderstood. Someone who was kind deep down, and who, if given the chance, could be a good friend for me. After we solved our first case together I realized I was kinda wrong: you haven't been a good friend, you have been a great friend. And later, you became a great partner, the best partner I ever had, and a great girlfriend. The only girlfriend I'll ever want to have. So, knowing that, I also know that you're the only one I'll want to spend the rest of my life with. And for a while I had been wondering..."

Fillmore stopped to take a ring out of his pocket. It was a black diamond engagement ring on a silver band.

"...Will you marry me?" Fillmore asked.

His parents and Ingrid's dad looked very emotional by that point. Ariella however looked very excited.

"Are you kidding? Of course I'll marry you!" Ingrid laughed, acting as if the question was unnecessary.

Fillmore laughed too as he put the ring on Ingrid's finger. They then reached over the table and kissed. Both their families excitedly started to talk with them about the wedding.

This time Vallejo was the best man, and Tehama shared the role of head bridesmaid with Malika. Ingrid wore white with black trim, since a full black dress didn't seem right yet she didn't want to entirely break from her style.

Tehama and Anza got married next, their proposal being more traditional. Anza went on one knee and proposed to Tehama at her doorstep after a great date and she accepted. Their wedding of course had Fillmore and Ingrid as best man and head bridesmaid.

Oh, O'Farrell wasn't left out of any of the weddings, he was given the job to record all of the weddings and he did a wonderful job on all three weddings.

Fillmore and Ingrid's daughter and Vallejo and Malika's son followed their parents' paths and became Safety Patrollers later, but Anza and Tehama's son decided to go down his own path and he became an environmentalist.


End file.
